 "In a first, Syria’s ex-jihadist leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to meet Trump at White House today")
In a historic first, Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa will on Monday meet US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Al-Sharaa will be the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since the country’s independence in 1946 from France.
Security and regional realignment are expected to be on the top of the meeting’s agenda. Days ahead of the visit, Reuters had reported that Trump is seeking a military deployment in Syrian territory under al-Sharaa’s control, including in Damascus.
Trump has been trying to steer Syria under al-Sharaa away from longtime Syria players Turkey and Russia. He has been leading efforts for a peace agreement between Syria and Israel. In the meeting, the two sides may also announce Syria joining the US-led coalition against the Islamic State in the region.
Until last year, al-Sharaa was a Specially Designated Global Terrorist with a bounty of $10 million. He had previously led al-Qaeda in Syria and had been a regional commander of the Islamic State before that — he was a close lieutenant of infamous Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
But al-Sharaa last year led a Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led coalition to overthrow Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, ending decadeslong Assad rule in the country. The West has since then cosied up to him, and the United States and United Nations (UN) have lifted sanctions on him.
‘I think he’s doing a very good job’: Trump on al-Sharaa
Days ahead of the meeting, Trump said that he thought al-Sharaa was “doing a very good job”
Trump said that “a lot of progress has been made” on Syria.
Trump further said, “It’s a tough neighborhood, and he’s a tough guy, but I got along with him very well.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsPreviously, Trump met al-Sharaa in May and announced he would lift all sanctions on Syria. But the actual lifting has been delayed as it requires congressional action and Congress has been in deadlock over the budget for months.
After his arrival in Washington DC, al-Sharaa met IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva over the weekend regarding possible aid for Syria.
Separately, the World Bank has estimated that it would take around $14 billion to rebuild the country after more than a year of wars.
Ahead of the meeting, State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said al-Sharaa’s administration had been meeting US demands on working to find missing Americans and on eliminating any remaining chemical weapons.
“These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime,” Pigott said.
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